Why care about Skyrim's menus?

[ThisJustin]

I'm playing on the PC with an Xbox controller, and the menu occasionally doesn't register when I move the control stick left or right to access a menu, which does a pretty thorough job of breaking the flow when I want to drink a potion during a fight with a dragon.

Favorite your potions, it will be real quick and easy then.

 

[Irridium]

Considering the menu is where you spend a huge chunk of your time in, it damn well better be good. It makes simple tasks needlessly obtuse, like comparing armor/weapon stats, and hides useful information from you.

Tell me, why the fuck do I have to find out from NPC's that I suffer from a disease that makes you're bones brittle?

It's just designed more for style than functionality, which is a shitty way to design a user interface. There's also the fact that it likes to freeze up most of the time you bring it up, which is just annoying as hell.

The UI is just annoying as hell to use. Which is something a UI should NOT be. And don't even get me started on trying to select a perk from the finicky-as-hell skill menu.

And I'm playing on the 360, I can't imagine what it's like on the PC.

Also, this. This so damn hard.

I've been seeing numerous threads and articles complaining about Skyrim's interface and menu and what I just can't understand is...why? Why does it matter if the menu is slightly worse than it was in Oblivion? Does it still work for you? Can you still get to your items? Is at least partially organized? Yes, yes, and yes. So why make a big fuss over it? Judging from the tone of many of the comments regarding it, they almost make it out to be a total gamebreaker, when it's not.

Basic point, if you're going to complain about a game, make it so with decent points. Not because the menu doesn't look purrty.

Why care about Skyrim's menu?
Because It makes the game very troublesome to play and hard to navigate, "duuh!"

I really love this weird argument. It shows many of the "Skyrim's target players" are lack of common sense, lack of experience and lack of empathy.
This may be their first (or almost first) game, therefore they will expect everything the game gives.

However, this is not our first game, some of us played every elder scrolls games on PC, and get used on what kind of UI can be handful on cRPGs.

Let me give an example about why we should care Skyrim's menus.
In the combat, I need to drink a potion. For this, I need to open the compass, go to items, select potions, scroll down and look to every item on the list to find the correct one.
After that I need to cast a different spell, may be a frost rune? OK, Open the compass again, go to magic, select proper school, and find your spell under a text list. Select the spell, close the menu, cast the spell. Then I need to use my bow. What should I do? Open the compass, go to items, select weapons, equip bow, equip arrow. Close the menu again, back to combat. If you need to melee again, you need to follow these steps again.

You see, it is time wasting, tiresome, boring and useless menu system for us.
You can say "you still can cast spells, so it is not problem",
Then I ask you, you will still walk with a torn, ripped sneakers, but will it be comfortable and enjoyable?
That is the problem.

Let me describe how can a "good interface" be:

before:
http://i.imgur.com/CahCf.jpg

after:
http://i.imgur.com/4NgHv.jpg

If you tell "why should I care about your problems on the menu?"
then, this is a sign of lack of empathy.

 

[Kirtap]

The people doesn't want to dread every time they want to talk to someone or change your weapon
thats the people who cares

 

[Elsarild]

I don't have a count of how many times shop owners have closed the browsing window while I was browsing, People have become hostile because it tought that I wanted to intimidate them, rather than persuade them, or the fact that I've wasted 25k on a house I didn't want because the interface blows.

Truth to this, I've done things I didn't mean to a few times and closed the UI unintentionally many times. Thank goodness for autosaves.

Use the keys and not the mouse and you won't have any problems. It works faster too.

I do that, most of the time, but it still screws up if the mouse is positioned poorly.

 

[ThisJustin]

I've been seeing numerous threads and articles complaining about Skyrim's interface and menu and what I just can't understand is...why? Why does it matter if the menu is slightly worse than it was in Oblivion? Does it still work for you? Can you still get to your items? Is at least partially organized? Yes, yes, and yes. So why make a big fuss over it? Judging from the tone of many of the comments regarding it, they almost make it out to be a total gamebreaker, when it's not.

Basic point, if you're going to complain about a game, make it so with decent points. Not because the menu doesn't look purrty.

Why care about Skyrim's menu?
Because It makes the game very troublesome to play and hard to navigate, "duuh!"

I really love this weird argument. It shows many of the "Skyrim's target players" are lack of common sense, lack of experience and lack of empathy.
This may be their first (or almost first) game, therefore they will expect everything the game gives.

However, this is not our first game, some of us played every elder scrolls games on PC, and get used on what kind of UI can be handful on cRPGs.

Let me give an example about why we should care Skyrim's menus.
In the combat, I need to drink a potion. For this, I need to open the compass, go to items, select potions, scroll down and look to every item on the list to find the correct one.
After that I need to cast a different spell, may be a frost rune? OK, Open the compass again, go to magic, select proper school, and find your spell under a text list. Select the spell, close the menu, cast the spell. Then I need to use my bow. What should I do? Open the compass, go to items, select weapons, equip bow, equip arrow. Close the menu again, back to combat. If you need to melee again, you need to follow these steps again.

You see, it is time wasting, tiresome, boring and useless menu system for us.
You can say "you still can cast spells, so it is not problem",
Then I ask you, you will still walk with a torn, ripped sneakers, but will it be comfortable and enjoyable?
That is the problem.

Let me describe how can a "good interface" be:

before:
http://i.imgur.com/CahCf.jpg

after:
http://i.imgur.com/4NgHv.jpg

If you tell "why should I care about your problems on the menu?"
then, this is a sign of lack of empathy.

Or, you could (on PC) hit the "i" key and be right in the inventory, and while there maybe favorite your bow or potion or any item or magic you want. The next time you need it use the one button favorite menu and there they are. Also on the PC you can assign a # key in the favorites menu so then it's even faster. There's also keys for quick map, magic and skills. no compass needed. I do care that's why I want people to know the better, easier way. I like the accusation though, that since the menu works fast and fluid for me, I must be inexperienced or playing my first game. I've actually been playing since Arena. Maybe with a little experience you'll know how to work your game. Sorry if don't want to go back to the Morrowind menus. Hmm... between doing a key click, using the mouse to find what I need, and another key click or few key clicks and no mouse. I'll choose the latter, it's faster for me at least.

 

[ThisJustin]

I feel like one of those pro Starcraft players with how I use keys to move through menus and conversations. Not really , but that's the gist how quick I've been able to use them.

 

[Epona]

I can't believe that people are saying "It's ok as long as you accept that you don't use the mouse"! Really, people are supposed to unlearn mouse usage on a PC? For this one badly designed UI?

Talk about apologists.

 

[ThisJustin]

I can't believe that people are saying "It's ok as long as you accept that you don't use the mouse"! Really, people are supposed to unlearn mouse usage on a PC? For this one badly designed UI?

Talk about apologists.

I'm not saying "it's ok" I'm saying it's better. That's right, using only the keys works a lot faster than a mouse specific menu like Oblivion or Morrowind. It can for you to, you don't have to unlearn anything. If you are willing to use the effort to make all your selections with the mouse, then the effort of moving the pointer an inch off the list and never taking your hand off the WASD keys should be simple. You may even start to enjoy it. I was used to norm too, then I realized this is easier.

Oh no, this new system causes me to slightly adjust my learned behavior. So it must be shit. Talk about reactionary.

 

[Epona]

I can't believe that people are saying "It's ok as long as you accept that you don't use the mouse"! Really, people are supposed to unlearn mouse usage on a PC? For this one badly designed UI?

Talk about apologists.

I'm not saying "it's ok" I'm saying it's better. That's right, using only the keys works a lot faster than a mouse specific menu like Oblivion or Morrowind. It can for you to, you don't have to unlearn anything. If you are willing to use the effort to make all your selections with the mouse, then the effort of moving the pointer an inch off the list and never taking your hand off the WASD keys should be simple. You may even start to enjoy it. I was used to norm too, then I realized this is easier.

Oh no, this new system causes me to slightly adjust my learned behavior. So it must be shit. Talk about reactionary.

Not using the most important input device the PC has ever had is not "SLIGHTLY adjusting learned behavior". You may prefer not to use the mouse but from I have seen here in this very thread, most people prefer to use the mouse.

 

[Atmos Duality]

This was a big problem for me in Oblivion, but Skyrim's interface is WORSE than Oblivion?
I'm glad I don't have to deal with it.

But seriously: Trying to manage Inventory in Oblivion was like trying to operate a Rolodex with just your toes. Technically possible, but maddeningly irritating.

Dropping items wasn't intuitive, and in a game where weight/burden management is critical, having a few sorting options would have made things far easier.
I do like how they've basically gone "Fuck PC gamers. We're not even going to attempt to address this issue. We'll just let them fix it themselves."

 

[Get_A_Grip_]

The problem is that they took a step back from the previous games.
All I want to do in Skyrim is assign number keys to potions and spells. Is that too much to ask for?

 

[Vivi22]

Interface is a very important aspect of game, especially if said game happens to be an RPG.

This. UI is literally how you interact with the game. If it doesn't work properly, or if it does things that get in your way, then it's a problem. I haven't played Skyrim to be perfectly fair, but I've seen some well thought out and articulated explanations of a lot of the problems that the Skyrim UI has in the PC version and it's enough to put me off of buying it until either Bethesda fixes them or modders do. I can accept some minor inefficiency here and there, but when it sounds like the entire interface wasn't even remotely designed for the PC, and worse, many of the issues are obvious, don't even make sense to implement in the first place (tab to escape from menus?), and are easily fixable long before release, it makes it hard for me to want to play the game as is. The rest of it could be amazing, but why should I have to adapt to a user interface that throws out design and usability conventions which have been developed and proven effective over more than 30 years?

You are right in a way, we shouldn't focus so much on it; but that's exactly the problem.

I agree with this statement. As players we shouldn't have to focus our attention on UI. It should be efficient and serve it's purpose in facilitating a smooth gaming experience. As soon as you have to get used to something beyond simply re-mapping some keys (which I've heard is a good way to break the UI in Skyrim. Not sure if they've fixed that yet) then it had better be for a damn good reason. Something along the lines of being objectively better than prior conventions, or a feature which has never been done before. If players are having to adapt to your game and you can't honestly say that it's for either of those reasons then you fucked up and need to fix the interface. Players should never be conscious of how they're interacting with your game after the first 10-20 minutes.

 

[ThisJustin]

The problem is that they took a step back from the previous games.
All I want to do in Skyrim is assign number keys to potions and spells. Is that too much to ask for?

Favorite your items in the menu, press "f" next to the item or spell, then open the favorites menu "q" and press # key you want for those items. I have my most needed items and spell 1-8 and then a smattering of other important things along with them it favorites menu.

 

[stemfish]

Honestly, while playing for the PS3, the menu is very nice, intuitive, and smooth.
When I played it for PC, it was choppy and took extra effort to use.

So they optimized the interface for the PS3/360 version over the PC, and I can't blame them. The copy I used for PC was a cracked copy that Bethesda will never see any money for, while the version I play at home I put down $60 for.

I'm willing to bet that most of those who are complaining about the interface are on PC, and for those who bought it for PC, I think you are owed an apology, but there is a reason why the interface is made the way it is, and if it ticks you off enough, then buy it for your 360, and get angry at the PC gaming community for pirating so many games that developers don't bother to optimize for your system.

 

[sir.rutthed]

People are bitching because it's a console style menu on the PC. I think it's fantastic, it's so streamlined and simple and I can actually see what I need to see unlike in Oblivion.

 

[Darkmantle]

This was a big problem for me in Oblivion, but Skyrim's interface is WORSE than Oblivion?
I'm glad I don't have to deal with it.

But seriously: Trying to manage Inventory in Oblivion was like trying to operate a Rolodex with just your toes. Technically possible, but maddeningly irritating.

Dropping items wasn't intuitive, and in a game where weight/burden management is critical, having a few sorting options would have made things far easier.
I do like how they've basically gone "Fuck PC gamers. We're not even going to attempt to address this issue. We'll just let them fix it themselves."

funnily enough, dropping items is just a butten click now lol

 

[Mute52]

How could people complain about it, i press I and i'm in my inventory, pretty standard stuff...